MEDIA RELEASE 5 August 2019

A NEW ERA FOR A MELBOURNE ICON –

FIRST LOOK AT $2B REGENERATION OF MOONEE VALLEY RACECOURSE

A joint venture between Melbourne developer Hamton Property Group (Hamton) and leading superannuation fund Hostplus, has unveiled the visionary masterplan for Moonee Valley Park (MVP), to be delivered in partnership with Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC).

The century-defining project will transform Moonee Valley Racecourse into new global benchmark for botanic-led living.

Sensitively integrated within an extensive new urban parkland, MVP is expected to become the premium neighbourhood of Melbourne’s North, with green open spaces and one of the world’s premier racecourses at its heart.

“The privilege of partnering with the Club to develop this 40 hectare site just 6km from the CBD comes with a deep sense of responsibility to future generations of Melbournians,” said Hamton Executive Chairman, Paul Hameister OAM.

“With Victoria’s population set to grow from six million today to over 10 million people in the next 30 years we believe strongly that our future population will highly value proximity to nature and botanical open space,” said Hameister.

“With this in mind, we designed a grand botanical park first and then the buildings followed – the result is a neighbourhood within a park,” said Hameister.

50 per cent of the overall site, representing around 20 hectares will be dedicated to new botanical green spaces.

The pedestrian experience will be prioritised over cars in this new premium neighbourhood of Melbourne’s North.

Walkability has been a key design feature with wellness at its core - easy access to new parkland, walking trails, bike paths, sporting fields, playgrounds, food and entertainment.

Many of the new open spaces have been designed to provide a blank canvas for an ever-changing curated calendar of community-focussed events.

“The integrity of this vision is only possible to maintain into the future because of the ongoing presence on the site of the Racing Club with its in-house groundskeeping and event management expertise. As a developer, it is rare to have such a committed site custodian into the future”, said Hameister.

At the core of Moonee Valley Park will be the new grandstand and track for the MVRC, which on completion will represent one of the world’s greatest night racing venues that will host up to 30 race meets each year, including the Cox Plate.

MVRC Chairman, Don Casboult said “With a pioneering history dating back to 1883, Moonee Valley Racing Club is one of the greatest race clubs in the world and a vital part of the Moonee Ponds community. The vision for Moonee Valley Park will realise our racing vision that preserves and propels the Club forward for centuries to come”.

“Embedding our unique entertainment and hospitality experiences for local, interstate and international visitors within Moonee Valley Park will cement this precinct as a key part of Melbourne’s urban fabric”, said Casboult.

Hostplus CEO, David Elia said, “As the national superannuation fund for those that live and love Australian hospitality, tourism, recreation and sport, Moonee Valley Park is strongly interlinked with the sectors Hostplus serves”.

“Our alignment with this project goes even deeper – Hostplus is the proud trustee for the retirement savings for the MVRC employees and around 8,600 City of Moonee Valley residents”.

“Hostplus is also delighted to continue its long-standing investment partnership with our development partner, Hamton”, said Mr Elia.

This new neighbourhood within a park will include a diverse range of precincts.

A business hub is among the plans, with a thriving and diverse professional community set to base itself across a mix of individual studios to large offices and co-working spaces.

A mix of specialty retailers, cafes, restaurants and sports venues, will add to the atmosphere and complement MVP’s suite of yoga and pilates studios, gyms, medical offices, sporting fields, running tracks and activity spaces located within the racing infield.

Nearby areas bring culture to the fore and provide a canvas for outdoor events, including moonlight cinemas, music concerts, theatrical performances and opera in the park.

In addition to these lifestyle and community amenities, over the course of the next decade, MVP is estimated to contribute around 2,000 dwellings to the neighbourhood, comprising towhouses and apartments.

MVP’s first residential offering will launch in the coming weeks.

With limited availability anticipated for this initial release, competition is expected to be fierce, so those interested are encouraged to pre-register via www.mooneevalleypark.com.au.

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For further information, to arrange an interview or request images, please contact Neue Media: Cara Cunningham | Director | 0403 522 477 | [email protected]

ABOUT HAMTON

Founded in 2005, Hamton is a boutique Melbourne-based private developer specialising in high-quality residential and mixed-use projects in the inner and middle-ring suburbs with completed and current projects totalling a combined value in excess of $3.5 billion.

Over the past 14 years, Hamton has become a trusted vehicle to provide institutional investors with exposure to entrepreneurial residential development returns. Following successful joint-ventures with some of Australia’s leading industry superannuation funds, Hamton has consistently delivered material financial outperformance on every such development project.

The success of the Hamton brand has been built on the delivery of the perfect blend of entrepreneurial creativity, innovation and adaptability with institutional-grade integrity, transparency and accountability.

Hamton is highly regarded as a creative and innovative placemaker, prepared to take risks with a development process anchored in honesty and integrity whilst consistently demanding the highest standards, commercially and ethically and striving to do the right thing at every opportunity.

Under the leadership of Executive Chairman, Paul Hameister and Managing Director, Matt Malseed, Hamton boasts one of the city’s best in-house development teams unified in its unrelenting pursuit to achieve its full potential.

Current projects include the $2 billion mixed-use redevelopment of Moonee Valley Racecourse in partnership with Hostplus and Moonee Valley Racing Club to create a new lifestyle precinct and neighbourhood in Melbourne’s North featuring over 20 hectares of new open space for the community.

In late 2018, Hamton acquired the Cotham Private Hospital in Kew from Healthscope and has since leased the property to Epworth for 3 years while it secures planning approvals and pre-sales for a residential redevelopment.

Hamton’s past projects have received numerous industry accolades, including the 2016 UDIA President’s Award for ‘Best Development in Australia’ across all categories for its $420m Eden, Haven and Sanctuary development in Abbotsford. www.hamton.com.au

ABOUT HOSTPLUS

Hostplus is the national superannuation fund for those that live and love Australian hospitality, tourism, recreation and sport. The Australian Hotels Association and United Voice jointly established the fund over 30 years ago in 1988.

It is one of Australia’s best performing and multi-awarded superannuation funds with over 1.2 million members, 180,000 employers and circa $45 billion funds under management.

With a 30-year relationship with Moonee Valley Racing Club and a deep commitment to the Australian hospitality, tourism, recreation and sporting industries, Hostplus is the ideal capital partner behind Moonee Valley Park. www.hostplus.com.au

ABOUT MVRC

Established in 1883, the Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) has enjoyed a rich and vibrant history of at its unique amphitheatre track. The first Australian metropolitan track to conduct night racing, Moonee Valley Racecourse (The Valley) continues to be a significant part of Victoria’s racing history.

MVRC’s signature race, the W.S. Cox Plate, is celebrated as Australia’s most sought after prize, with past winners including , , Might and Power, and Winx. The race was named after racing pioneer William Samuel Cox, who in 1882 leased and transformed the farmland known today as Moonee Valley Racecourse.

Now the next era of The Valley’s transformation is underway, with developer Hamton and Hostplus working alongside MVRC to create a dynamic urban lifestyle precinct, at the heart of which lies one of the world’s greatest night racing venues. Serving up unique hospitality and entertainment experiences for local, interstate and international visitors, this redevelopment will cement MVRC’s position as Melbourne’s most appealing spectator racecourse and one of Australia’s most iconic sporting precincts. www.thevalley.com.au